Autumn 2013 – Season Preview

October marks the beginning of the final anime season of 2013. The Autumn anime season is typically a heavy one, marking the beginning of many new shows and the return of a number of favorites that were lucky or popular enough to be brought back. And Autumn 2013 is no exception, seeing as the line-up for this season has numerous amounts of potentially good or great anime to choose from. And as is the case with every season, these next few weeks are crucial to deciding which shows are worth keeping and which ones can be forgotten. And as with every anime season preview prior, I’ll take a quick but largely complete overview of all the shows airing this season while also including my thoughts and plans for each show. So onward, to the Autumn 2013 Anime Season Preview!

Starting off with the returning anime for Autumn 2013, a dozen anime will resume, beginning each franchise again with a continuation, sequel, spin-off or some other type of series revival. Of course, this doesn’t even mention all the OVAs and movies coming out this season too, which continue to expand and grow at an amazing rate. Nevertheless, the line-up for TV anime returning this season are: Freezing Vibration, Hajime no Ippo 3, Infinite Stratos S2, Kakumeiki Valvrave 2, Kuroko no Basket S2, Kyousugiga TV, Little Busters!: Refrain, Magi: The Kingdom of Magic, Phi Brain S3, Pokemon XY, Teekyuu S3, White Album 2, and Yozakura Quartet: Hana no Uta. Of course, I’m unfamiliar with a number of these franchises, so if you’ve seen them and plan on continuing to watch them, I have nothing of value here. And if you’re watching to watch them without any prior knowledge, I recommend you look elsewhere since other sources would be much more valuable and experienced than what you’d find here. However, about half of these anime I am familiar with and have plans to continue this season. So with that, here is my outlook on the sequels I plan on following this season:

Kakumeiki Valvrave 2 (Valvrave the Liberator 2)

Opinion: Valvrave was a pleasant and entertaining surprise back when it aired in Spring 2013. Being a 2-cour anime, this second season was planned from the beginning, so when watching and enjoying the first season, I had planned to return to it this season and finish it. That being said, this is actually one of the few anime I’m really excited for this season, so I hope Valvrave continues to be brilliant in its second half.

Plans for this show: Will watch

Kyousogiga TV

Opinion: After a handful of OVAs over the last couple of years, Kyousogiga finally materializes as a TV anime with this most recent product. Although I don’t adore the series as much as others, I’ve always been incredibly fond of the art style, animation, presentation and directing. The areas where I’ve felt the series lacking have been in its characterizations and storytelling but given the constraints of an OVA, I realized these deficiencies were due to the format rather than the series in general. With Kyousogiga now a television anime with at least 12 episodes for it to explore its world and tell its story, I figure the series will quickly become a favorite of mine again by overcoming the weaknesses that I found in the previous OVAs. If not, at least the series will be one of the most beautiful of the season and a fun one to watch.

Plans for this show: Will watch

Teekyuu S3

Opinion: Does Teekyuu need another introduction? Teekyuu is my favorite of the short, 2-minute anime subgenre that has become so popular lately. And unlike most of the other anime in this category, its style of quick, aggressive and absurd jokes plays extremely well in this format. The episodes have a perfect pace given its available time. Not only that but the comedy seems to get me to laugh every episode. This one is a keeper.

Plans for this show: Will watch

Freezing Vibration

Opinion: Freezing was a good series for ecchi and action but not much else. It was actually one of the first anime I reviewed on this blog, so it feels nostalgic to see the anime again after so long. That being said, it wasn’t that great of an anime besides its entertainment value and even then the series was deficient in that at times. The anime should prove to be engaging again with its action and fanservice but I hope there are improvements in its characters and story to make the anime more well-rounded and worthwhile.

Plans for this show: Maybe watch

Little Busters!: Refrain

Opinion: The main issue I had with Little Busters! was its slow, dull pacing that stretched the series out further than it should’ve been. As a result, I grew weary and tired of the series before the first season ended, and it left a miserable taste in my mouth. With the continuation slated for this season, I’m reminded of that dissatisfying experience. However, after some rest and time away from the series, I’m ready to tackle it again. Unfortunately, I still have a sinking feeling about the writing and dialogue of this season which was problem #2 for Little Busters! but hopefully the comedy will take center-stage since that was my favorite thing from this anime.

Plans for this show: Maybe watch

Magi: The Kingdom of Magic

Opinion: Magi is an anime where I feel somewhat conflicted. Although I still like and enjoy the series, I feel as though the second half of the first season was a bit too shounen for me, in terms of its characters and story. That being said, it was probably a good idea to take a break from the series but I can’t help but wonder if it’ll continue to be as shounen as it was when the first season ended. I guess I’ll get to satisfy my curiosity when this second season begins. At the very least, I know I’ll enjoy the anime for its entertainment, provided the comedy and fighting are still featured aspects of this show.

Plans for this show: Maybe watch

Yozakura Quartet: Hana no Uta

Opinion: Seems as though this is the remake of an anime that aired back in 2008, Yozakura Quartet. Whether or not we needed to watch the original series remains to be seen although given the description that this is a remake, looks like this might be a great introduction to the series. Given what we’ve seen in the PV, the art, animation, character designs and action all appear to be stellar and really grabs my attention without letting go. I do hope the characters themselves and the plot of this anime are worthwhile because it could go either way at this point being about demon hunters. Still, it’s an anime that deserves an episode or two, so hopefully it delivers what it advertises.

Plans for this show: Maybe watch

Moving on, all that remains now are the flood of new anime that will debut for Autumn 2013. With a couple already out by the time of this post and with many more slated for the coming days and following weeks, now is probably the best time to get a general idea of each one before watching every anime’s premiere episode. And considering how heavy this anime season will be, it might be best to already dismiss a few before feeling overloaded or overwhelmed one day into this anime season. So with that, here lies my anticipated list for Autumn 2013!

The order of anime listed below is neither chronological nor alphabetic but ranked in order of my personal anticipation and how likely I believe I will watch that anime this season. Every anime is evaluated and placed into one of five tiers ordered: Will watch, Likely watch, Maybe watch, Doubtful but it gets a shot, and No dice. Within each tier, the anime are listed alphabetically. Dates are not included because who knows when and where these shows will be subbed and available to watch (which really is the most important!). So with that, let’s take a look at the new anime for Autumn 2013:

KILL la KILL

Opinion: From the collective minds that brought us Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann comes Kill la Kill, probably one of most highly anticipated anime of mine in recent memory. Never mind the fact that TTGL is well established as one of my top 5 anime of all time, Kill la Kill stands on its own with its unparalleled and exceptional style, which oozes out in its art, characters and setting. The one question that remains about this anime is its story and how the episodes develop, but given that virtually every other aspect of this anime is outrageous and fantastic, I dare say that there won’t be a better anime than this for Autumn 2013.

Plans for this show: Will watch

Galilei Donna

Opinion: Judging from the PV alone, the anime seems incredibly strong based off its superb animation and attractive character designs. There’s plenty of action and energy in the PV too, to suggest that this anime won’t be one anchored down by excessive dialogue or inactivity. However, given the premise, I do figure it will focus on the three sisters adapting to each other and beginning to understand each other which may or may not be boring depending on the action and personalities involved. Regardless of that, I do figure this will be one of the better anime this season based on what I’ve read and seen.

Plans for this show: Likely watch

BlazBlue: Alter Memory

Opinion: What’s not to like about BlazBlue? The games are addictive, the characters are delightful and the style is gorgeous. And now it’s being made into an anime? Well… I’ve seen a lot of good ideas go sour before but this one looks to be a good source of fun and entertainment if all else fails. The art and animation capture the visual style of the games perfectly, so nothing is lost in translation there. However, the balance between fighting and stories in anime remains to be seen. That’s always a difficult point of transition with adaptions since many try to focus on a story with every character while sacrificing the enticing fights. Here, I hope it’s the opposite with plenty of fights involving all the characters and a simple story that links everything together rather than becoming the focus of the anime itself. If BlazBlue is able to learn from the mistakes of other fighting anime and put together a decent story featuring its entire cast while include frequent fights, then this should end up being one of the better anime this season.

Plans for this show: Maybe watch

Coppelion

Opinion: Cute anime girls with guns? Been there, done that. But in a stunning, dazzling post-apoc setting with plenty of action? Well, now you’ve caught my interesting. And given my strong preference for anime with this type of setting, you could guess that Coppelion is an anime I’m looking forward to watching this season. But competing for my favorite aspect of this anime besides the setting is the art and animation which feature exquisite backgrounds and charming character designs. The story seems to be pretty decent too, though I have to wonder how much will focus on the girls themselves rather than the setting or their situation. Either way, this has the potential to be one of my favorite anime this season based on what we’ve seen thus far and how it matches with my tastes.

Plans for this show: Maybe watch

Gingitsune

Opinion: Having had my subscription to Ultra Jump for nearly two years, I have some prior experience with the Gingitsune manga. I never paid much attention to it since I was placed in the middle and never bothered to read it, but the style caught my eye as something both charismatic and simple. Now with an anime debuting this season, I want to give the series a chance from the start. From what I’ve seen thus far, the anime captures that enchanting style and the setting with Japanese folklore and anime schoolgirls is one that I seem to enjoy. Just how much I enjoy this anime remains to be seen.

Plans for this show: Maybe watch

Nagi no Asukara

Opinion: The main reason why I’m watching this anime is that I’ve always been fond of PA Work’s style in animation, and the use of water elements and themes in this anime catches my attention. However, the synopsis of the story is what prevents me from diving right in. What worries me about this anime is that it’s about two childhood friends (aka super slow and boring romance) who move their lives from ones underwater to ones above land. And let’s not forget that this is 26 episodes, too, so whatever happens, it’s going to take a long time to develop. I don’t know if I want that from an anime but I’m willing to give this anime a chance. If it proves to be a decent drama or an oustanding romance, then Nagi no Asukara might be worth it, but I’m not going to hold my breath on this one.

Plans for this show: Maybe watch

Non Non Biyori

Opinion: Non Non Biyori seems to be one of those mindless, slice-of-life comedies which are wonderful anime to relax to. And considering that there aren’t very many like this one for this season, I have a strong feeling that I’ll keep Non Non Biyori for this very reason. But to the anime’s credit, it does have a number of other positives beyond being a comedy. The art is delightful and unpretentious which fits nicely with the whole peaceful mood I want from this show. There aren’t gags where the characters are screaming or silly action sequences either leading me to believe this anime will be pretty chill and tranquil. And with an all-female cast, hopefully there won’t be any perverted jokes or otaku humor to muck up the humor. Should be a pretty fun anime unless it’s more slife than comedy.

Plans for this show: Maybe watch

pupa

Opinion: I haven’t found much in the way of pupa besides the PV linked above but it catches my interest as a ‘psychological horror’ anime with a mutant transformation at the center. And from what I can tell, the character designs and art are both appealing though I wonder how they’ll fit the mold if this is a horror anime. Maybe the more I see or learn of this anime, my opinions will change but this one might be either really good or really, really bad.

Plans for this show: Maybe watch

Strike the Blood

Opinion: Strike the Blood is an anime with tons of potential… for either good or bad. The premise is a very ‘anime’ premise with superpowered school-age kids in a highly specific, convoluted setting filled with random details (very chuunibyou, if that makes sense). So from that regard, it might be fun and innovative but will probably end up being very standard and stereotypical with its cast and story. Still, the anime might prove itself to be entertaining depending on the level of comedy and action, though I wouldn’t get my hopes up until I see some intelligence in its writing or storytelling. At least the character designs are amiable and the animation solid, so this anime deserves a shot.

Plans for this show: Maybe watch

Tokyo Ravens

Opinion: What stands out to me from the Tokyo Ravens PV is the music. I have to admit, that is one of my favorite tracks in the PVs I’ve seen this season, so that immediately catches my attention. The second that stands out would be the entrancing character designs, something that’s pleasant to the eye though not very distinct or different from the others. And third would be the promise of comedy and action, although after mentioning that a half dozen times already in this preview, you have to wonder what’s the difference. Well, it all depends on how this comedy and action performs in comparison with the other anime this season. That is to say, I’ll probably watch this show if it performs better than most of the other anime in this category and I wouldn’t mind dropping it if my plate is too full this season. It’s really in a tough spot but as long as it does better than the rest, this should be a keeper.

Plans for this show: Maybe watch

Aoki Hagane no Arpeggio: Ars Nova (Arpeggio of Blue Steel: Ars Nova)

Opinion: I’ve never watched a fully 3D anime before and I doubt this will be the one. Why? Well, partially because I’ve never liked the style of art and animation with 3D like this before and that the story and characters don’t particularly interest me. Why am I giving the anime a shot? I suppose it’s because I am a bit lured in by the setting, a post-apoc world that revolves around naval ships, and by the fact that some of the 3D animation is impressive, particularly with the ships themselves. Yeah, I don’t think it’ll be enough for me to keep the anime but it deserves an episode or two.

Plans for this show: Doubtful but it gets a shot

Kyoukai no Kanata (Beyond the Boundary)

Opinion: A chuunibyou-themed anime from KyoAni? Last one I watched like that was pretty darn good. But Kyoukai no Kanata is a chuunibyou anime that takes itself seriously? Wait, seriously seriously? I’m not sure how this will go but it deserves an episode to see how it performs. That being said, I don’t expect much from this anime in terms of its story or characters. There doesn’t appear to be that charm or humor or fun associated with most chuunibyou anime. And while KyoAni’s style is still impressive, it doesn’t make an anime worth watching all by itself, especially since the last one I watched and enjoyed was their last chuunibyou show. Well, at least the chuunibyou theme runs strong with KyoAni since next season is the return of Chuunibyou2 and I might just wait until that one comes out.

Plans for this show: Doubtful but it gets a shot

Machine-Doll wa Kizutsukanai (Unbreakable Machine-Doll)

Opinion: If the PV stopped after 20 seconds, this would be one of the top anime in this preview for me. Fortunately, the PV continues and reveals itself to be a rather mediocre looking anime with harem elements, mundane fights and stereotypical anime comedy. Nothing about this anime seems particularly original or interesting and the vibe I get from this anime means it’ll probably take itself too seriously with its subpar writing and dialogue. Can’t say I’m impressed but I want to like it. At least, right now, I think I want to like it.

Plans for this show: Doubtful but it gets a shot

Samurai Flamenco

Opinion: Samurai Flamenco finds itself near the bottom largely because I wasn’t able to find much on it besides it seems to be a sentai-style show. Can’t say I’m too interested in a sentai show but that really depends on how the anime performs. The PV doesn’t show much in the way of anything valuable besides the main cast members appear to be handsome male characters, a nice change of pace from cute, moe schoolgirls but nothing that particularly excites me. I guess we’ll see how this anime does when it comes out but I’m not expecting much in the way of anything from this.

Plans for this show: Doubtful but it gets a shot

Tesagure Bukatsu-mono

Opinion: Unlike the previous 3D-animation anime, this one seems more interesting and innovative because it’ll be entirely animated through MikuMikuDance (a Vocaloid animation software). I can’t say I’m thrilled with the prospect of an anime made entirely in this program, but I have to admit that I am intrigued to see what professionals are able to do with this technology. However, it also makes me fearful that this anime will be relatively cheap, not just from the production perspective but also in terms of comedy and writing. I hope the anime is decent but I’m not expecting much in the way from it. Still, it’ll be interesting to see if other anime follow suit if the 3D animation is adequate or tolerable.

Plans for this show: Doubtful but it gets a shot

And all that remains are the anime that I have virtually no interest in watching. The reason why these anime are slotted here is because they either appear to already be flawed, boring, or simply outside my demographic. While these anime may in fact be watchable to some, they do not appear that way for me. I doubt I’ll watch any more than the PV linked in their sections but there’s always a chance for me to pick one or two up every season, so not all hope is lost for these shows. However, for most of them, there’s already zero chance I’ll even think about them after writing my opinions for each.

Diabolik Lovers

Opinion: Yes, this is my favorite type of anime! (Disclaimer: this is not my favorite type of anime)

Plans for this show: No dice

Diamond no Ace

Opinion: Never really enjoy sports anime and I don’t think this one will be the one to change my opinion on the genre.

Plans for this show: No dice

Golden Time

Opinion: It just looks plain, average and boring. Might as well save myself the trouble and drop it now.

Plans for this show: No dice

Log Horizon

Opinion: The real horror of this anime is the characters can’t log out from the anime, unlike me who will do that before the show even starts.

Plans for this show: No dice

Meganebu

Opinion: No, really, this is my favorite type of anime! (Disclaimer: this is still not my favorite type of anime)

Opinion: The Yuusha/Mao setting has become completely oversaturated in 2013 and it’s becoming a joke in and of itself. But somehow this looks to be the worst of all these anime.

Plans for this show: No dice

And so, after a little over 30 anime, this concludes my Season Preview for Autumn 2013. Up next is the fun part: actually watching and grading the anime and deciding what to keep and what to toss. Of course, that means my First Impressions posts will be coming up shortly, just as soon as I can find the time to watch all these great new shows. Until then, I sincerely hope you all enjoy all the anime you watch this season, especially since these are the anime that will be with us from now until the end of 2013!

I agree, Magi’s second half got a lot more stereotypically shounen, which isn’t really my style. The emphasis on action/adventure really shifted dramatically to more of a battle-themed story, and I was sad that much of the previously decent characterisation was turned into an Alibaba angst-fest. Still, I enjoyed the first season overall to at least warrant a sample of season two, so we’ll see how it goes.
That’s the only anime continuation I plan of watching for the fall season – everything else is new. Kill la Kill, Galilei Donna, Samurai Flamenco, Kyoukai no Kanata, Pupa, Gingitsune, and Coppelion for me… probably (roughly) in that order.

I agree with you completely about Magi; it seemed to stray away from what made it great in the beginning and went down more of a shounen route. Still, I enjoyed the cast and setting enough to want to continue it, so I’m pretty happy to see it return.

As for the rest of your lineup, I must say everything else looks pretty good. Looks pretty similar to what I think I’ll watch.

Music isn’t anything I really pay attention to in a PV since it’s usually OP or ED music, but this one stood out. And when the music is that good, it usually speaks well for the anime beyond just the music.

I heard some opinion from people who’ve read the manga of Sekai de Ichiban Tsuyoku Naritai and they said that the PV is kinda misleading because the focus is actually the character growth instead of fanservice…
Though I am not really sure because I can’t speak/read Japanese…

I wouldn’t be surprised if there is substantial character development but often times, when there’s a fanservice manga being adapted into a fanservice anime, there’s going to be a considerable amount of fanservice. Hell, I would be surprised if there wasn’t more fanservice in the anime than the manga. So even though it might have a decent story, it just doesn’t look all that great right now.

That’s pretty thorough. I’m looking forward to Coppelion, Kill La Kill, and Freezing the most. I have gone 140 chapters into the Freezing manga, and it still retains my interest–though the last chapter ended in a rather off-putting way. I’m curious to see how they’ll animate the next part of the series.

You might give Golden Time a try. It’s from the author Toradora, and several other bloggers have written positively about it. So, I’m curious. Yet, I must confess that I did not care for Toradora myself.

Oh, didn’t realize Freezing had so many chapters out. I guess that’s good to know since the anime will have a lot of material to follow, and I did think the anime performed better from the latter half onward. I’ll try to get that in sometime this weekend but I’m not sure if I’ll want to blog it or not in my weekly reviews.

And thanks for the update on Golden Time. I’ll give that first episode a shot now, though I’m still not expecting too much from it.